Outline Tree:

Click on this hyperlink to see an example of an outline tree. The benefit of an outline tree is that it shows how ideas relate to each other so that when drafting, you avoid skipping randomly from one idea to another.



Brainstorm:

When brainstorming ask yourself about your topic. The answers can be details for your essay. Sometimes the question that offers up the most information is the simple question "Why?". The following list of questions might be helpful to jumpstart your thinking.

Why did it happen?
How did it happen?
Who was involved?
When did it happen?
Where did it happen?
Could it happen again?
What does it mean?
How does it work?
Why does it matter?
Why does this matter to my reader?
Why is it true?
What is it similar to?
What is it different from?
What are the characteristics?
Why is it different from?
What are the physical characteristics?
Why is it important?
Who would care about it?
What causes it?
What are its effects?
What is it related to?
What examples are there?
How can it be explained?
What controversies ae associated with it?

Concept Mapping: